Well it’s nearing that time again. The kids start school in September and I have to begin thinking about getting Dakota ready. I already know he doesn’t want to go back and since there is less structure here during the summer it might be a hard transition. I already have the bedtime and morning routine so that won’t have to change. I know mornings are going to be difficult so within the next week or two we are going to have to start getting up early for practice before school.

I am also going to start having Dakota check off the days on the calendar so he can see that school is coming. While we are at the calendar marking down the days. I plan on having little positive talks with him about school. We will talk about some of the things he will be doing for 2nd grade. We will talk about some of the things he likes about school. Hopefully this will help ease him back in as he knows it will be coming.

I am going to also start having him read a little more for the rest of the summer. We are going to do some math puzzles that I have and work on starting to refresh things. I know I should have been doing this all summer but I really wanted him to have a summer. We have some great books that my Dad bought Dakota that are easy and quick reading. I also have some games that I got from the teacher last year to play with him.

I am also going to meet his teacher so that I can talk with her a little bit about what to expect from Dakota and how we can work together. This year will be really critical as we shall see if behaviors will or will not come out. We will be dealing with them head on. I have a great support network with the therapist that comes in and Dakota’s case manager and another lady from my case manager’s office. They are fantastic and are not afraid to voice opinions to the school.

10 Responses to “Back to School – Autistic Kids”

I am an elementary school teacher and I think it is such a great idea that you are making the effort to meet with your son’s teacher before school starts. I always request to have students with special needs placed in my classroom and I always like to meet with parents or at least talk on the phone before school starts so I can make sure to start off on the right foot be prepared in the classroom. I am not intending this to sound conceited, but I know that not all teachers are like me and some would see this as an inconvenience (meeting before school starts). I am so passionate about teaching students with special needs that I feel it is part of my job to go beyond what I might do for other families because I know that it takes some extra effort to get it right for kids with different needs. That is an effort that I am completely willing to put in. I know the relationship between teachers and parents is so critical for the success of the child and I can tell you are a great part of that team!

Thanks Katie! I am hoping the same thing. Dakota’s first grade teacher was fantastic! We had great communication and we talked almost every day about how Dakota did. She even gave me stuff for over summer. I am very sad this year as I didn’t get the teacher I wanted. They were moving the teachers around. They had to be careful of the kids that were in each class when it came to Dakota. This year will really be the test.

Stacie, We never stop school here. We homeschool year round. We are able to take breaks we need. It is so great you are so involved in Dakotas school. I have wondered, How did you first know he had Autism? When does it usually appear?
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I use to homeschool Dakota but he really needed structure and I couldn’t give him that. So we shall see as if the school pulls what it did before he is out of there. But I have a great team of support so I don’t think they will pull what they did. LOL I knew something was wrong when he kept banging his head. I mean really banging his head. We thought they were ear infections and they weren’t. He would rock in the corner at times. He regressed in his speech, didn’t respond to his name, didn’t like stranger or even people, and I asked the doctor about autism. I don’t really remember all that much on how I figured out the red flags. But we had a really great developmental doctor that had us come over a couple visits. We went through blood tests, mri’s, hearing tests. His seizures started while we were on a trip to Nebraska to visit some friends. Then it all happened after that.

Good luck to you both. This year Cirwen starts secondary school. Many changes, her best friend will be in different school, she has to learn to travel by bus on her own… Thankfully, she had six induction days in July so she knows where her classrooms are, teachers and a few kids. She loved it there, so she is looking forward to go there. The bus travel is going to be a big issue as she never does travel on her own. We have started to mark the land marks, time and so on,
so she can remember where to get off. I will go with her for a few months just watching her pretending I’m not there and help if need be.
We also are talking about the situations which might happen on a public bus.
I am very nervous, although the school SEN Coordinator and her learning mentor keep reassuring me they will do what they can. We’ll see. I can only hope for the best.
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I think it’s great that you will sit there and pretend and help when Cirwen needs it. It’s letting them grow up and doing things on their own. Which is the hardest part of being a parent I think. It’s good that your marking land marks and time too. Hopefully everything will work out perfect! Good Luck to you too!